Heretofore, disposable bathtub and shower liners have been well known in the art. In general, they commonly involve non-slip floor mats affixed in place by suction cups, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,759,348 and 2,264,672 and 2,495,602. Cushioned mats provided a protective liner comprising of a number pads adapted to cover the sides and bottom of the tub. These pads were limited in their use as a disposable and protective barrier between water and bathtub.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,882 padded panels with support means provided additional mobility assistance for the young and elderly. The limited number of padded panels allow contamination of bathtub and liner requiring cleaning and sterilization after each use. Weir discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,651 a thin flexible liner held in place with a magnetic flange. This removable liner has no bottom leaving bath tub exposed to dirt and bacteria, requiring cleaning of both liner and bathtub.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,254 combines an impervious plastic layer and inner layer of supporting compressible material to provide comfort. This semi-flexible liner is secured in place restricting disposability with cleaning being required. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,069,523 and 4,602,393 discuss an integral sheet of plastic material shaped to conform to the bottom , sides, vertical one end and sloping other end of bathtub, which extend above the upper edges of the bathtub. The flexible and reusable character of this liner prohibits disposal which increases the cleaning effort to include both liner and bathtub.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,938,200 and 4,106,133 teach the advent of biologically clean plastic films for lining a bathtub to establish a physical barrier between bath and patient. The thin, flimsy, plastic liner provides a low cost contamination prevention system obviating the need to clean and sterilize the bathtub and shower after each use. Installation requires spaced apart hooks be placed into bathroom wall where each individual liner must hang from before filling bathtub with water. The unsecured liner and hooks increase safety hazard, and installation costs.